Inspiration Sources

The YouTube channels below, have been my main source of inspiration.
Most of the techniques I use come from these brilliant minds who bring miniatures to life. My aim is to one day become as inspirational and develop more techniques to share with fellow crafters.

Flocking & all things green

You can't go wrong with WWS. They are my main supplier of flocking and I love their static grass applicators. Gotta get 'em all!

Diorama Presepe are absolute gem in the world of miniature landscapes. I get all my bushes, plants, trees and flowers from here.

Paints and Brushes

When I can't afford to lose a bristle, Citadel are always my top choice in brushes. Their range of colours is stunning.

The Army Painter has another stunning collection of colours.

I'm also obsessed by their Quickshade varnish. Besides being designed for minis, I love it's versatility and it's my favourite choice on wood giving it a hyper realistic aged look.

I also use acrylics from Artiste, Arteza and DecoArt for a lot of my pain jobs.

Washes

I use Citadel and Vallejo washes on small jobs. For anything that needs a bigger coverage, I make my own wash using Liquitex products.

Tools

I use Proxxon tools on all my builds. From the hot wire cutter to the table saw and rotary tools. A must in my crafting studio.

Terrain/Building Accessories

If I need fences, windows, stained glass window effects, templates and other accessories, Shifting Lands are my number one online shop to go to.

They also have a range of Poxxon hot wire cutter add ons like my favourite, the circular cutter and guides, as well as modelling and painting tools.

Citadel have a fun set of skulls I like to use on terrain and I always have a supply of cogs, chains and other little bits and pieces which always come in handy.

Styrofoam

After testing multiple foams, I have found my favourite Styrofoam at Blue Foam.
It's easy to texture and the prices are fair.

Water Effects

I would not use any other Epoxy Resin.
Stunning effects, it doesn't yellow and it cures to perfection.

Glue

There is nothing I like more than coating all my work with Mod Podge before painting. Mixed with some black primer, it serves me as primer and hardener making the builds more robust.

For my water ripple effects I use Mod Podge gloss.

If I'm using wood, I tend to use Gorilla glue and Tacky Glue on all my foam builds. PVA is always handy and I use it to mix and stick fine turf with bushes for my moss effects.

I use very little Super Glue but it's crucial for some jobs. I use it mainly to coat card stock so it hardens and feels like iron.

Airbrush & Compressor

I was recommended Iwata airbrushes and I can't fault mine. Having only tried a gravity fed model, it's very easy to use even at beginner level.

Even at low pressure, it provides a very smooth finish.

My first compressor to date is made by Timbertech.

I'm very happy with how it's performing. The pressure is consistent and the motor shuts off when the tank is full so it's not constantly running.

Other Essentials

I make my own washes when I have to cover a large area, so I use Liquitex inks and their paint thinners which I use on my airbrush as well.

Vallejo are my chosen brand for all my primers and texture paint. They are a top brand for all fine arts resources.

Lighting

Nothing fancy here. Doing only basic lighting, I can get away with a cheap soldering iron and some basics like miniature lights, switches and battery packs.
The tea lights are also great for things like fire pits, bonfires etc.

UV Resin

I use Palermo UV resin on all of my windows. The finish is always stunning and it cures in about 30 seconds with the UV touch.
For bigger jobs, I use a cheap nap UV lamp.

Sculpting, Shaping and Texturing

I always have a good selection of shaping tools for those occasions when I may need to do a small clay job. I use both air drying clay from Das and oven bake clay from Sculpey.

For terrain making, I use Sculptamold as I can sculpt to any consistency and it gives me plenty of time to work on it.

For texturing walls I use Polyfilla straight from the tub and occasionally thinned with water. For extra texture, I sprinkle some Bicarbonate of soda.

For bricks, stones and tiles, I use a foil ball rolled over the foam, for a realistic effect. Bigger jobs require to put the small pieces into a metal tin with stones to shake them until textured.

My wire brush is a must in all my crafting, texturing foam to make it look like realistic wood.

Crafting Knives

I use Olfa knives primarily as the blade is very durable.
For intricate jobs, I use cheap crafting knives with good a supply of spare blades.

Wood

I use a selection of Balsa wood, card stock and chipboard.
A selection of rods, lolly sticks and match sticks are essential for a lot of jobs.

Hot Glue Gun

Since I don't use it that often, I get away with a very cheap one. The downside is that the glue cools down and hardens fast but on the plus side, as it doesn't heat up too much, I can use it on foam without melting it. An upgrade is overdue.

The melting glue is great for making shapes. I use it to make some lighting look like flames.

Safety

This is a pretty safe job, but on occasions, some PPE is required.
When cutting and sanding wood, I wear my respirator and googles, a less intrusive mask for spray painting and latex gloves for messy paint jobs and making washes.

The Round Crafting Table